Wild Explorations of Central India

Your itinerary begins in Delhi where having arrived independently, you will be greeted by your tour representative and transferred to your hotel. This afternoon you can enjoy an included half-day city tour designed to showcase the diverse heritage of India’s capital city.

Accommodation: 1 night’s accommodation in Delhi on a Bed & Breakfast basis.

Activities Included: Half-Day City Tour

After an early breakfast this morning, you will transfer to the domestic airport for your included flight to Nagpur, where upon arrival you will be greeted by a representative for the drive to Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve. After checking in to the fantastic Svasara Jungle Lodge, you can enjoy your first exciting Jeep Safari into the reserve before settling down for a delicious dinner at the lodge.

Accommodation: 3 nights’ accommodation at Svasara Jungle Lodge with all meals included.

Activities Included During Your Stay: 4 Private Jeep Safaris in the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve, including a full day safari with packed meals.

Over the next two days, your exploration of the area will largely be targeted on seeking out sightings of the Bengal Tigers that are found in great numbers here. Out of all the parks you will visit on your tour, Tadoba holds the highest probability of viewing these iconic animals. On day 3, you can enjoy two separate private jeep safaris, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, designed to offer the best wildlife viewing opportunities. As well as the Bengal Tigers, you can also hope for sightings of other enigmatic animals such as the Indian leopards, sloth bears, dhole, hyenas, spotted deer and much more that reside here, along with an incredibly rare melanistic leopard that roams the park.

On day 4, you will have the unique chance to spend a full day in the park on a photography-centred exploration. You will enjoy private jeep safaris and time at your leisure to relax, and packed meals will be provided. There are very few safari operators that are granted the special permission needed to be in the park from sunrise to sunset, so this will be a privileged opportunity that is not to be missed.

In the early afternoon of day 5, after a final excursion into the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve, you will transfer by road (approximately 4 hour drive) to the famous Pench Tiger Reserve and Pench National Park where you will check into the excellent Pench Tree Lodge. As all parks in Madhya Pradesh are closed for tourist activities on Wednesdays, your itinerary will be designed so that this day of travel falls on a Wednesday, meaning no days are wasted. This evening you can relax at the lodge.

Over the following two days, you can enjoy twice daily private Jeep Safaris to explore the wonders of this area. The park derives its name from the Pench River which runs through it and supports a wide variety of wildlife. It is one of the most popular wildlife reserves in India and is even mentioned in Rudyard Kipling’s ‘The Jungle Book’. Our focus here will be particularly upon the Indian Leopards and tigers which reside here, along with gaur, one of the tallest bovines in the world. Tourists also tend to flock here to spot the famous characters from The Jungle Book including Akela (The Indian Wolf), Raksha (the female Wolf), Baloo (Sloth Bear), and the vicious Shere Khan (Royal Bengal Tiger). Other sightings may include wild boar, striped hyena, monkeys, four-horned antelopes, jackals and much more. During your night safari you can also hope for sightings of flying foxes, flying squirrels and more tigers and leopards.

Accommodation: 3 nights’ accommodation at Pench Tree Lodge with all meals included.

Activities Included During Your Stay: 4 Private Jeep Safaris in Pench Tiger Reserve.

Your last park to discover on your Indian wildlife adventure is the beautiful Satpura Tiger Reserve which you will transfer to on the morning of day 8. After an approximately 6-hour drive, you will arrive at the wonderful Reni Pani Jungle Lodge where the rest of the day will be at your leisure. After the long drive you may simply want to relax within the comforts of your lodge.

Over the following 3 days you can enjoy your included jeep safaris through the reserve in search of sightings of the area’s iconic wildlife. Entering the park is an adventure in itself, as you transfer to the river front to take a motorboat across into the core forest where your safari jeep will be waiting to collect you. As this is one of the best places in India to see sloth bears, your safaris will have a focus on finding them and the chances are very high. Leopard sightings in the park are excellent too, however, over the last 3-4 years we have seen a rise in tiger numbers which had made the other stars of Satpura a little shyer since they are no longer the top predators. Indian giant squirrels are another unique species that can be found here.

You can also join an included dusk/night time drive through the reserve. Nighttime drives here are highly recommended as they offer excellent chances of spotting species such as rusty-spotted cats (one of the world’s smallest wildcat species which is endemic to the Indian subcontinent), sloth bears (also endemic), Chausinghas (four-horned antelopes), leopards, a variety of owls, and nightjars. You may also be lucky enough to spot tigers at night.

During your time here you can also enjoy an included canoe safari or a walking safari. The canoe safaris offer excellent birdwatching opportunities as well as sightings of crocodiles and the land mammals that come down to the water to drink. Walking safaris are a great way to get closer to the smaller fauna that is often too well camouflaged to be seen during jeep safaris.

A highlight here is likely to be your included full day safari into the Churna forest region which will include lunch at the Churna forest rest house.

Accommodation: 4 nights’ accommodation at Reni Pani Jungle Lodge with all meals included.

Activities Included During Your Stay: 2 Private Jeep Safaris, 1 Dusk/Night Drive, and 1 Canoe or Walking Safari in Satpura Tiger Reserve. Also included: Full Day Churna Safari.

On your final morning you can enjoy a well-deserved lie-in before checking out and transferring by road to Bhopal airport to catch your flight back to Delhi. Along the way to Bhopal, your driver guide will stop at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Bhimbetka Rock Shelters which houses rock art dating back 10,000 years. Upon arrival back in Delhi, a representative will greet you and help you to transfer to the international terminal for your onward or homeward flights.